Thank You, New York Times

Walter Lippmann penned, in 1965, "A free press is not a privilege, but an organic necessity in a great society."

The New York Times gets a bum rap here more often than not.

But, I think there are many good DU'ers who understand that the Times, and a few other mainstream newspapers, have been invaluable in doing what the press is supposed to do, which is to act to keep the citizenry informed as to the activities of its government.

The Times, in courageously standing up to the attempts of this administration to intimidate and silence it, has admirably served both its readership and its nation.

The Founding Fathers foresaw that there would be administrations just like this one and sounded clear warnings about the dangers of tyranny.

Thomas Jefferson wrote, in 1787:

"The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."

Aspiring tyrants will always try to silence a free press. It is the duty of a free people, of all of us, to vigilantly and fiercely safeguard that freedom.

I gladly stand with the New York Times.

All this makes me want to go right out & buy a Times paper tomorrow (and I live in the South).

on the Joe Scarborough show, Scarborough Report/Country, whatever the hell its called on msnbc....Old repub joe was pretty pissed off at W tonight. He also posed a very good question. If the roles were reveresed, meaning that the dems were in power, doing the same thing, the Repubs would be up in arms, and causing a HUGE stink over it....

There were those amazing moments when Joe spoke about that & I almost fell out of my chair. He was absolutely right & I hope all of Freeperville heard him say all of that. It was so good that I'd like to hear that on video.

Did anyone get Scarboro's show on video from last night? It would include Mike Papantonio from Florida (the other half of the "Ring of Fire" program team on Air America - a rare nat'l TV guest).

for releasing this information...but they have no problem ignoring the outing of a CIA agent...

they are upset because they are spying on the Dems and average citizens

They don't have Judy running amok in the hallways spinning the stories in their direction.

Count me in as well.
I would really like to see the NYT front page their editorial response to the outrageous attacks by the reich today.

above the fold, front page.

nt

I absolutely stand with the NYT, and I get good and sick of the constant drubbing it takes here.

Thank you, NYT.

bothers to invest in investigative reporters rather than pulling things off the wire and police scanners.